TLW

JEAN MICHEL FERRI 1998/99 by Paul Grech Date of Birth - 07/02/69 Nationality - French Position --Midfield Games - 2 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - French Caps Other Clubs - Nantes, Istanbulspor, Sochaux Jean Michel Ferri came, made a couple of headlines (Ferri Across the Mersey, Ferri Good…you get the drift) and left. There is hardly anything more to say about one of Houllier's first signings apart that it is extremely difficult to find the reason why he joined in the first place. When he signed from Turkish side Istanbulspor, Houllier built him up as a player of great experience and, perhaps more importantly, a leader. What Houllier failed to mention was that Ferri was also injured and at the end of his career. To be fair, he had been a better than average midfielder, had won a couple of league titles with Nantes and in his prime Ferri was consistently one of the better players of the French league. His nickname was 'the Machine'. Yet by the time he signed for Liverpool he was already 32 year-old and apparently playing out his career in Turkey. So why was he bought? There are a number of theories but in all probability it was simply a case of Houllier wanting to bring in a player he knew well. And it is hard to blame him. After all, this was a time in which an un-named Liverpool player – the famous Anfield 'mole'– was criticising the club at every possible opportunity. This is why Houllier needed someone like Ferri, someone who could identify the negative influences in the squad. Whether this was Ferri's role or not, only Houllier and the player himself will ever know. But there hardly appears to be a better explanation, especially as he was limited to a couple of substitute appearances in a red shirt before he too was sold back to France at the end of the season. More info on Jean Michel Ferri: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

TOM FAIRFOUL 1913/15 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 16/01/1881 Nationality - Scottish Position - Half-back Games - 71 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - Other Clubs - Lanark Athletic, Patria, Kilmarnock, Third Lanark Half-back Thomas was a regular in the Liverpool side in the two years that preceded the First World War. He played in every one of the 38 First Division matches in 1913-14 and made a further 24 appearances the following season. Nine F.A. cup ties over the same period (including the 1914 final defeat by Burnley at Crystal Palace) brought his career total for Liverpool to 71 games. His career at Anfield ended in shame, as along with three other Liverpool players (Miller, Pursell, Sheldon) and three Manchester United players, he was found guilty of fixing a game between Liverpool and United on Good Friday 1915. More info on Tom Fairfoul: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

ABEL XAVIER 2002/03 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 30/11/72 Nationality - Portuguese Position - Defender Games - 21 Goals - 2 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - Portugal Caps Other Clubs - Estrela Amadora, Benfica, Bari, Real Oviedo, PSV Eindhoven, Everton, Galatasaray (loan), Hannover 96, AS Roma, Middlesbrough, LA Galaxy (USA) Santa Claus lookalike Portuguese defender who joined the reds in what seemed a cut price deal at the time from neighbours Everton midway through the 2001/02 season. The signing would end up costing Liverpool a lot more than the initial £800,000 paid to the blues however. Xavier proved to be a terrible purchase., His arrival spelled the end for promising young full back Stephen Wright, who found himself on the sidelines as Gerard Houllier had to justify the outlay he'd made on Xavier. A solid, reliable performer for Everton, he failed to show those qualities in his time at Anfield. Used almost exclusively at right back, his lack of pace and slowness on the turn caused him countless problems against quick wingers. There were some high points, notably a goal in the 6-0 drubbing of Ipswich at Portman Road and another in the 4-2 defeat in Germany to Leverkusen. But overall Xavier struggled to make any impact at Anfield, and never looked like justifying the reported £40k a week salary he picked up during his time at the club. That hefty salary made it difficult for the reds to get shut of the player, but eventually Turkish side Galatasaray came in and took him on loan. The move turned sour pretty quickly however, and the Turks cut short the deal early and sent him back to Merseyside. Liverpool didn't want him back though, and ended up paying up the remainder of his contract rather than allow him to return to the club. He had short spells in Germany and Italy before returning to England with Middlesbrough, but his time at the Riversie wasn't a happy one and included a suspension for failing a dope test. xavier then moved on to the United States, where he would become a team-mate of David Beckham at LA Galaxy. More info on Abel Xavier: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

BJORN TORE KVARME 1997/99 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 17/07/72 Nationality - Norwegian Position - Defender Games - 54 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - Norway Caps Other Clubs - Rosenborg (twice), St Etienne, Real Sociedad, Bastia Bjorn Tore Kvarme arrived at the club as a replacement for the popular, but injury prone John Scales in January 1997. After selling Scales to Spurs for a fee of around £2.5mil, Roy Evans looked to have completed a shrewd piece of business by bringing in the tough tackling Norwegian on a Bosman transfer. Kvarme had impressed the reds coaching staff while training with the club during a visit to Merseyside to see his close friend, Stig Inge Bjornebye. Indeed, for the first few months he was at the club, many fans referred to him simply as "Stig's mate". The early signs were encouraging for Kvarme, who despite being a complete unknown in England before his arrival, took to the Premiership without any problems. His debut came at Anfield in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa, and he was outstanding on the right side of the reds three man central defensive system. He was many observers man of the match that day, and he continued to impress for the rest of that season. He was a popular figure with the fans, who really took to his no-nonsense approach to defending. Man marking was his best attribute, but his heading was weak, and in English football that type of weakness in a defender is always likely to be exploited, so during the off season whilst the rest of his team-mates were sunning themselves and getting pissed in various tropical paradises, Kvarme returned to train with his former club Rosenborg to work on his heading skills. Such determination and commitment were admirable, and it seemed certain that Kvarme would go from strength to strength as a Liverpool player. So his subsequent fall from grace is something of a mystery. It all started to go wrong for the Norwegian when he was caught in possession during a Merseyside derby at Goodison. Being robbed of the ball by Danny Cadamarteri and seeing the useless little bag of shite turn Neil Ruddock inside out before scoring at the Park End was something that Kvarme simply never recovered from. To make things worse, a couple of weeks later he made a carbon copy error at Anfield which allowed another useless bag of shite striker, Andy Cole, to also score against us. Committing two such vital mistakes against the reds' two main rivals destroyed Kvarme's confidence, and he was never the same player after that. When Roy Evans scrapped the wing back system to play 4-4-2, there was some hope for the Norwegian that he may be able to make the right back spot his own. That was in fact his preferred position, but the presence at the club of both Rob Jones and Jason McAteer meant that Kvarme had no route back into the first team, and despite showing some signs in the reserves that he was coming back to form, his days at Anfield were numbered. He joined French side St Etienne, where he enjoyed something of a renaissance and even forced his way back into the international arena with Norway before earning himself a lucrative move to the Spanish Primera Liga with Real Sociedad. More info on Bjorn Tore Kvarme: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

JOHN WARK 1984/88 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 04/08/1957 Nationality - Scottish Position - Midfield Games - 108 Goals - 42 Club Hons (Lpool) - Intnl Hons - 29 Scotland Caps Other Clubs - Ipswich, Middlesbro Midfielder John made a high-profile move to Anfield in the Spring of 1984 after making nearly 300 League appearances for Ipswich Town, with whom he had also won the F.A. and UEFA cups. With the impending departure of inspirational skipper Graeme Souness, Wark's great experience and impressive goalscoring record while playing for the Suffolk club were no doubt seen as a way of reducing the impact of his fellow Scot's subsequent transfer to Sampdoria in Italy. John scored on his debut at Watford and made 9 First Division appearances as the championship was won for a third successive year but he was ineligible to play in the semi-final and final of the European cup. Twenty-seven years old shortly before his first full season as a Liverpool player started, Wark should have been approaching his peak and he seemed to confirm that with 18 League goals plus a further 9 in cup competitions, including a hat-trick in the home leg against Lech Poznan as Liverpool started their defence of the Champions' cup and three more when York City were thrashed 7-0 in an F.A. cup 5th round replay. But injury and the emergence of Jan Molby restricted John to just 11 'starts' in the 'Double' League and F.A. cup triumph of 1986 and after failing to regain a regular place in the side he rejoined his former club at Portman Road at the start of 1988. The broken leg he suffered while at Anfield almost certainly prevented him from spending a longer period on Merseyside. Once fully-fit again, even though he was by now approaching his mid-30's, John only missed 2 League games in 2 seasons for Ipswich at the end of the 1980's and continued his astonishing goals-per-game ratio with 26 in those two years to take his total in League matches alone for Liverpool and Ipswich close to the 150 mark, a remarkable total for a midfield player even though many of those came from the penalty-spot. John's impressive final figures for Liverpool show 42 goals from 108 appearances in League and cup competitions. More info on John Wark: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

DICK FORSHAW 1919/27 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 20/08/1895 Nationality - English Position - Inside Forward Games - 287 Goals - 124 Club Hons (Lpool) - League Championship 1921/22, 22/23 Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Gateshead St Vincent's (amateur); Nottm For, Middlesbro (wartime guest); Everton, Wolves; Hednesford Town, Rhyl Athletic, Waterford (all three amateur) Inside-forward Dick joined Liverpool from Middlesbrough as League football returned after the end of the First World War and was a regular scorer for the club for 8 seasons before making the short trip across Stanley Park to continue his career with Everton. Introduced after the opening 3 fixtures of the 1919-20 season, he played in 23 First Division games and scored 7 times (including a hat-trick against Derby County) in helping his club finish the season in 4th place. Another 4th place followed a year later when Dick's contribution was 9 goals from 27 appearances. But it was during the next two years that he really came to prominence, not missing a single League game as the club won the League title in consecutive seasons, 1921-22 & 1922-23. He scored 36 times in those 84 games, a remarkable total for a player in his position. Although Dick only missed 3 games when Liverpool unsuccessfully went for a championship hat-trick, his goals tally was down to 5 but 'normal service' was resumed in 1924-25 when he was easily the club's leading scorer with 19 and he bettered that in what was to prove his final full season at Anfield with 27 from only 32 games in 1925-26. More info on Dick Forshaw: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

BRAD FRIEDEL 1997/2000 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 18/05/71 Nationality - American Position - Goalkeeper Games - 31 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - USA caps Other Clubs - Columbus Crew, Brondby, Galatasaray, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa Brad Friedel had been a Liverpool target long before he eventually joined the reds for £1m from Columbus Crew in 1997. Graeme Souness had targetted the big American stopper whilst he was in charge of the reds, but could never secure a work permit for the player. Roy Evans had also been tracking Friedel for some time before eventually succeding in acquiring a work permit for him just before Christmas in 1997, so it was somewhat surprising that the player did not go straight into the side at the expense of the erratic David James. Friedel had to wait two months before eventually displacing James, by which time the title was well out of reach, partly due to a string of errors from the reds number one. Friedel didn't do a great deal wrong though, the only real blemish coming with a soft goal conceded on the final day of the season at Derby County. It seemed as though Brad had established himself as first choice, but after one far from convincing performance at Old Trafford the following season, he was dropped. Granted, he had a very poor game that day, but considering how many performances such as that David James had produced over the years yet still kept his place, Friedel could justifiably feel hard done to. The uncertainty over the goalkeeping position was doing no-one any good, and the reds were leaking goals galore. When Gerard Houllier took sole charge, he offloaded James and signed Sander Westerveld for £4.5mil, at the time a British record for a goalkeeper. Friedel was kept on as back up, but that meant problems with the DOE and in the summer of 2000 Brad was told that his work permit would not be renewed. He could not even train at Melwood, and was struggling to find a new club until Souness - a long time admirer of Friedel who had worked with him before at Galatasaray - took him to Blackburn Rovers, whom he helped to promotion to the Premiership in 2001. Brad enjoyed a highly successful time at Ewood Park, establishing himself as one of the league's top keepers before moving on to Aston Villa in the summer of 2008. More info on Brad Friedel: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/2008-2009/79517-fa-youth-cup-final-2nd-leg-liverpool-1-arsenal-2-may-26-2009-a.html

LIVERPOOL 3 Tottenham 1 Report by Dave Usher at Anfield Scorer(s) – Fernando Torres, Alan Hutton O.G., Yossi BenayounHalf Time - 1-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Sun 24 May 2009 Star Man – Dirk Kuyt Coming out of Anfield on Sunday I just felt completely empty. If you’d offered me 86 points back in August when the season started, I’d have probably taken it. Forgive me for not doing cartwheels today though. Having just seen Sami Hyypia and (almost certainly) Xabi Alonso playing their last games for the club, I’m finding it hard to feel upbeat about anything right now. I’m just gutted. It’s been a bizarre season, and I still don’t know if it should be classed as ‘successful’ or not. 86 points speaks for itself I suppose. Just two defeats in the league all season deserves a lot of credit, and for the first time in years we were involved in a title race. We did doubles over Chelsea and the mancs in the league, battered Real Madrid and were the top scorers in the country. On the flipside, we’ve just completed a third successive trophyless season. We drew seven times at home, often to shite teams, we were dumped out of the FA Cup by Everton, were outplayed at Anfield in the CL by Chelsea and humiliated by Spurs in the League Cup. We lost at Boro, failed to beat Stoke twice etc We spent £40m last summer, and by the final game of the season not a single summer recruit was deemed good enough to be in the side, and the biggest signing of the lot was actually lining up and scoring for the opposition. So was it a successuful season? Not for me, although I won’t argue with anyone who feels it was as a case can be made either way. Personally though I just feel disappointed and can’t help think about what could, and should have been. It was good, but could so so easily have been better. That’s not why I’m feeling so empty though. It’s the loss of two more of the Istanbul side that’s responsible for that. We’ve known it was coming for Sami, and this was always going to be his day. Xabi though? Well even now there are people who still think he will be here next season. I’d love to think so, but the odds on it happening look pretty remote based on everything I’ve been hearing, and you could tell by his reaction at the end as he took part in the lap of honour that he thinks he’s played his last game for the club. I watched Xabi wave to the Kop, and then put his hand on his heart in a gesture of thanks, and that was it. Confirmation of what I knew but didn’t want to fully accept. I don’t mind admitting, between that and seeing Sami breaking down in tears, I was more than a little choked up and had to stop myself from blubbering like a relegated Geordie. “You’re not John Terry, get a fucking grip” I told myself. I just about kept it together, but I’m still feeling pretty emotional even now, more than 24 hours later. There’s an advert on the telly with the ‘Let it Snow’ tune. I usually happily sing along with it using the ‘midfield maestro’ lyrics, and I’ve even been trying to teach my two year old daughter to join in. It came on before, and that lump appeared in my throat again. I’m absolutely fucking gutted it looks like it’s come to this. I love Xabi, he’s everything I look for in a Liverpool player, a real class act in every way. Like I say, I’m absolutely gutted right now, but it looks pretty nailed on that he’s going. Then there’s Sami. Ten years fantastic service, and even this year when he’s played he’s been fucking phenomenal. Like thousands of others,I turned up to Anfield yesterday looking forward to seeing the big man do his thing for one last time. I wasn’t expecting seven poxy fucking minutes that’s for damn sure. Still, but for the Kop’s repeated (and increasingly irritated) demands for him to get on, it would have been even less. Benitez said afterwards he wanted to wait til the last minute to put him on. I should be surprised, but sadly I’m not. Last minute indeed. Jesus Christ. As for the game, well it was a typical end of season, nothing to play for kind of game, despite the fact we needed a win to guarantee second and Spurs had a chance of qualifying for Europe. We were pretty flat, Spurs even more so. Some of the Tottenham players need to take a good look at themselves after this half arsed display. Modric, King and Keane looked up for it, and the left back who’s name escapes me put a lot of effort in. The rest weren’t arsed though, and they were the perfect opposition for us really, as we weren’t completely at it either. Mascherano was full of running and played the game as though it was the title decider we hoped it might be. The same can be said of Kuyt, who only knows one way to play and that’s flat out. There’s been times this season when my patience with Dirk has ran a little thin. He gets a lot of stick, and some of it is justified, but when you look at what he’s contributed this season in terms of goals and assists from the right hand side (mostly), he deserves a lot of credit. Not many players in his position can boast similar numbers. He added another assist in this game, with a pinpoint cross that was superbly headed in by the otherwise quiet Torres to put us in front. Dirk might want to claim the second one himself, but his shot looked like it was going wide before it struck Hutton and wrong footed Gomes. Can’t see the dubious goals panel finding in his favour on that one. At 2-0 up the game looked over, and we were cruising. Spurs had offered nothing other than one break in the first half when Defoe got in behind but was denied by Pepe. It was alarming the way the striker got clear though, and the warning wasn’t heeded as in the second half Keane went through in similar circumstances. He looked offside, but replays showed he wasn’t, and he kept a cool head to beat Pepe and ensure the reds keeper didn’t win the golden glove award. His reaction to the goal showed a lot of class. He just put his head down, and walked back to the centre circle. Apparently a minority of people had booed him. I didn’t hear it myself, but seriously, why the fuck would anyone boo him? Just what goes through these people’s minds when they do shit like this? At full time he went over to every Liverpool player and gave them a hug, and had a chat with all of them. Not just his mates such as Carra and Stevie, but he even took time out to go over to N’Gog and had a little chat with him. He walked straight past Rafa though. That goal put the cat amongst the pigeons, as suddenly we had a game on our hands again. More importantly, it made Sami’s chances of getting on early much slimmer. I think everyone in the ground was expecting him to get the last twenty minutes, and when N’Gog was brought on first there was an air of disbelief around me. Keane’s goal came with 14 minutes to go, and despite the Kop constantly chanting for Sami’s introduction, Rafa remained unmoved. Then four minutes later Yossi made the game safe (another tidy finish from a player who - like Kuyt - has had a fine second half to the season), and that was surely going to mean Sami getting the call. But no, another three minutes passed until finally, with seven minutes to go he was sent on to a hero’s reception, fittingly replacing Steven Gerrard and reclaiming the armband that he had relinquished to him with such dignity all those years ago. It was almost a fairytale ending too, as he rose to meet Aurelio’s corner and planted a header goalwards, but it was smuggled off the line by Gomes. When the final whistle went, and all the handshakes had been exchanged and the Spurs players had left the field, all eyes were on Sami. Suddenly it was as though it all hit home with him, and he realised he’d never again be on this field as a Liverpool player. He put his shirt over his face, and then had his head in his hands. It was all too much for him, and even from where I was sat it was obvious he was in tears. I almost was too, I guess I didn’t think Sami would ever leave, but here he was, saying goodbye. It seemed like a natural progression that he would just play for us until he retired and would then join the coaching staff. Maybe one day he will do, but he’ll be going to play in Germany first. Replacing Sami Hyypia is an impossible task. Players like that don’t come round very often. Sami joined the club in the same summer I started TLW. It’s going to be really weird not having him around next season. So what of next season? Well obviously if we can cut out the stupid draws against shite teams, there’s no reason why we can’t go one better and win it. But if we are to have any chance of doing it, Rafa is really going to have to seriously up his game in the transfer market. The additions made last summer have barely helped us at all. Not one of them would be in our strongest XI, and that’s pretty damning when you consider £40m was spent. 12 months ago our squad included Crouch, Riise and Finnan. All three are better than the players who have replaced them in the squad. So we still need to adequately replace them, and now we’ll need to replace Hyypia and Alonso too. And in addition to that, we still need to address the problem wide areas. Getting 86 points was a good achievement, but Rafa has got his work cut out to even match that next season, let alone surpass it. If Gerrard and Torres stay fit for most of the season, we’ve got a chance regardless of who we bring in, but it’s asking a lot especially given the problems Torres has had. This summer is going to be massive, and Rafa simply has to get it right. We’re just about clinging to our perch, it’s up to Rafa to make sure we aren’t knocked off it completely. Team: Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio; Mascherano, Alonso; Kuyt (Riera), Gerrard (Hyypia), Benayoun; Torres (N’Gog):

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/tlw-footy/79403-tlw-hjc-cup-may-23-2009-a.html

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/news/79362-reserves-off-winning-start-holland.html

CHRIS FAGAN 1970/71 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 05/06/50 Nationality - English Position - Defender Games - 1 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Tranmere Rovers The only time Chris (son of Joe) pulled on a Liverpool shirt in a first-team fixture was in the bizarre League match at Manchester City in April 1971 just two days before an important European Fairs Cup semi-final at Leeds. Bill Shankly played his entire reserve team at Maine Road to protect his senior players before such an important cup-tie. Chris moved to Prenton Park in July 1971 and made over 80 appearances for Tranmere Rovers over the next 3 seasons. More info on Chris Fagan: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

DAVID FAIRCLOUGH 1975/83 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 05/01/57 Nationality - English Position - Striker Games - 88 (62) Goals - 55 Club Hons (Lpool) - League Championship 1975/76, 76/77, 79/80, 81/82, European Cup 1977/78,* UEFA Cup 1975/76 Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Toronto Blizzard (Canada), Lucerne (Switzerland), Norwich, Oldham, Beveren (Belgium), Rochdale, Tranmere, Wigan Forever remembered as the 'Supersub' of the last part of the 70's (a tag he detested but which has probably brought him a good living as an after-dinner speaker since he retired from the game!), local boy David exploded onto the football scene as a 19 year old to add some fresh impetus to Liverpool's neck-and-neck challenge with QPR for the First Division championship. In much the same way as Ronnie Rosenthal's arrival gave a new and unpredictable boost to the crucial final leg of the 1989-90 season, David's 7 goals from 5 starts with 9 substitute appearances were a big factor in Liverpool finally overhauling the Londoners in the final match of the season. Although it is his 'famous' goal against St. Etienne the following season which is most remembered, a mazy run from the half-way line with two minutes to go in the Anfield derby turned a goal-less draw into a priceless victory. That extra point was vital in the final analysis in 1976. As one of his colleagues said at the time "He didn't know himself what he was going to do, so how could WE know?!". It was hard for Fairclough to break the Keegan/Toshack partnership which was well-established but the Welshman's injury problems did give him a number of opportunities the following season, when Liverpool were competing for honours at home and abroad right to the end of an amazing season. However, there were only a further 3 League goals from 20 appearances (8 as a sub) to add to the 7 from the end of the season before. But on the 16th of March 1977 came the moment that would change his life. Trailing by the away goal to the French champions with time running out in a frenzied atmosphere at Anfield, David latched on to Ray Kennedy's lob and headed for goal. The 'legend' will tell you that he beat several defenders on his way into Merseyside folklore but the reality is that he kept his eye on the ball, brushed aside any challenge from a defender and then calmly tucked his right-foot shot under Curkovic into the Kop goal to bring about scenes which those who were there still talk about with a lump in their throat and a shiver down their spine ! It was always going to be a hard act to follow but the following season never saw David Fairclough really establish himself as a permanent member of the first team, although he did start 26 League matches and was also in the starting line-up when the Reds successfully defended their European crown at Wembley in the Spring. But he only made a further 21 League starts for Liverpool after that before finally leaving Anfield for the last time in 1983 (there had been a brief spell in America in the early 80's). David's final figures for Liverpool still make impressive reading though. 52 goals from 88 starts is a fine achievement but he never quite got rid of the 'Supersub' nickname and that is borne out by the fact that he made almost as many substitute appearances (61) as he had when picked from the start!* But his contribution towards the club's success of the late 70's and early 80's should not be underestimated. Maybe he did have a tendency to drift in and out of some matches but his pace and unpredictability caused havoc to many a defence and his 'golden' moment against St. Etienne is one which will never be forgotten. * More info on David Fairclough: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

PHIL FERNS 1962/65 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 14/11/37 Nationality - English Position - Defender Games - 28 Goals - 1 Club Hons (Lpool) - League Championship 1963/64 Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Everton, Manchester City, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Mansfield Town, Rhyl (amateur), Poole Town (amateur) Phil was born in Liverpool and signed professional forms for his local club in September 1957 when he was a couple of months short of his 20th birthday. But he wasn't able to force his way into the first-team until the 1962-63 season when he briefly covered for Tommy Leishman (three times) and Ronnie Moran (twice) as Liverpool returned to the top division after an 8-year absence. When the club won the League championship for the 6th time in 1964, Phil played in enough games ( 18 ) to qualify for a winners' medal but was only selected on four more occasions the following season before being transferred to Bournemouth in August 1965. Phil finished his playing career with Mansfield Town. More info on Phil Ferns: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

JOHN EVANS 1953/57 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 28/08/29 Nationality - English Position - Inside Forward Games - 107 Goals - 53 Club Hons (Player) - None Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Tilbury (amateur), Charlton, Colchester; Romford, Ford United (both amateur) Inside-forward John signed for Liverpool in December 1953 from Charlton Athletic, for whom he had played 90 League matches, scoring 38 times. The Reds were sliding towards relegation after winning only 5 of their first 24 matches and at least John's introduction on Boxing Day 1953 saw a slight improvement with a draw taken from West Bromwich Albion's visit just 24 hours after the Midlanders had triumphed 5-2 at The Hawthorns. That started a run of 16 successive matches, in which Evans scored 3 times, but the introduction of a number of new players in the second-half of the season could not prevent the drop. John only missed 4 League games in 1954-55 as Liverpool got used to life in the Second Division and scored 29 times, including all FIVE as Bristol Rovers were defeated 5-3 and all FOUR when Bury were beaten at Gigg Lane. He wasn't quite as prolific the next year but still managed 13 goals from 31 League appearances. But only a few weeks into the 1956-57 season, he lost his place to a young Jimmy Melia and was eventually transferred to Colchester United in December 1957, where he added another 22 League goals to an already impressive tally. More info on John Evans: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

ALUN EVANS 1969/77 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 30/04/49 Nationality - English Position - Striker Games - 111 Goals - 33 Club Hons (Player) - None Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Wolves, Aston Villa, Walsall, Hellas FC, South Melbourne (Aus) Bill Shankly paid the then enormous sum of £110,000 to bring the precocious talents of 18 year old Alun Evans to Liverpool from Wolverhampton in September 1968. His start could hardly have been more sensational with a goal 10 minutes into his debut at home to Leicester and then 2 more the following week as he returned to Molineux and helped destroy his former club 6-0 ! He played in every League game from his debut in September until the end of the season, contributing 7 goals to a team which still contained many of the men who had won the League, Cup & League again in successive seasons earlier in the decade. At the time he seemed the ideal candidate to be groomed as Roger Hunt's successor but he failed to make the same impact the following season, making only 17 League starts and scoring only 3 times in those games. Most of those appearances came after Hunt had departed for Bolton and the expectation and responsibility seemed to weigh heavily on his young shoulders. He did make a bright start to the 1970-71 season with 7 goals in the first 10 games but after that things started to go wrong. Badly scarred by broken glass in a night-club incident back in Wolverhampton, he was also badly injured during a UEFA cup tie in Bucharest and consequently lost his place to the emerging Steve Heighway although he later won it back (at John McLaughlin's expense) and played in 8 of the last 10 League fixtures as well as in the 1971 F.A. Cup Final against Arsenal. Alun only played another 6 matches for the club, his last ironically enough against his first club Wolverhampton at Molineux towards the end of January 1972. Soon afterwards he was transferred to Wolves' Midlands rival Aston Villa. He later played for Walsall briefly before travelling to Australia and making a fresh start with South Melbourne. Alun might be described as one of those "could have been" players. He had so much potential as a teenager but never matured the way he had been expected to. There should have been many more memorable performances like the marvellous hat-trick with which he destroyed Bayern Munich at Anfield in March 1971 but sadly they never came to be. Alun scored 21 League goals for Liverpool, with a further 12 coming in cup competitions. More info on Alun Evans: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

ROY EVANS 1965/99 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 04/10/48 Nationality - English Position - Left back Games - 11 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Player) - None Club Hons (Manager) - League Cup 1994/95 Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - None Bootle-born Roy was an apprentice at Anfield before signing professional forms when he was 17 years old in October 1965. But he had to serve a different kind of apprenticeship in Liverpool's reserve-team and didn't see a hint of first-team action until nearly the end of the 1969-70 season, when he figured in 3 of the last 8 matches. In fact Roy would only make a further 6 appearances in the League plus one each in the League cup and European Fairs cup before surprisingly being offered the chance to take control of the club's reserve side, a task he took to with relish for a long period when Liverpool won the Central League trophy more often than not. Roy was the last of the 'Bootroom Boys' and maybe even then he was being groomed to one day take the top job at the club?** After serving in a number of different roles, always with great enthusiasm and attention to detail, Roy did finally become Liverpool's manager in the wake of Graeme Souness's departure in January 1994.* Although he only won one major honour as manager (the 1995 League cup), Roy's loyalty and devotion to Liverpool Football Club for more than three decades is without question. In the end he felt he had taken the club as far as he could and the decision by the club's Board to 'share' the managership with Gerard Houllier was not one that ever really worked, however good the intention was. He won't be remembered much as a Liverpool player because he only played 11 times for the first team but few men in the club's long and illustrious history have given so many years of their life or seen as much success as Roy Evans did when he was employed by Liverpool F.C. More info on Roy Evans: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

JULIAN DICKS 1993/94 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 08/08/68 Nationality - English Position - Left back Games - 28 Goals - 3 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - England u21 caps Other Clubs - Birmingham City, West Ham United It's fair to say that Graeme Souness made many mistakes during his stormy tenure in charge of the reds, but the signing of Julian Dicks ranks right up there with the worst of them. Reports at the time claimed we gave West Ham a million pound as well as Mike Marsh and David Burrows. Surely one of the worst deals in the club's history? It's easy to see what Souness saw in the player, as he possessed many of the attributes that the Scot was trying to instill into his side. Tough, competitive, nasty even, but Dicks was also a highly talented footballer with a sledgehammer for a left foot. He was good on the ball, could pick out a pass and also had an eye for goal. Unfortunately though, he was also ill disciplined, lazy and a disruptive influence. It's not unfair to say that when Julian Dicks eventually returned to West Ham after a less than illustrious spell at Anfield, few people were sorry to see him go, whether they be fans, coaching staff or players. Often overweight, Dicks regularly suffered from knee trouble which hampered his training. He arrived at Anfield with a horrendous disciplinary record, but to be fair to him he managed to keep his notoriously short temper in check for the most part during his spell on Merseyside. There were numerous reports of training ground bust ups with the coaching staff, but on the pitch Dicks' behaviour was fine. Souness rated him highly, but as soon as the Scot was replaced by Roy Evans, the writing was on the wall for 'Dicksy.' Both he and Mark Wright were left out of a pre-season tour by Evans, due to poor attitudes and condition. Wright would knuckle down and to his credit forced his way back into Evans' plans, but Dicks' attitude deteriorated further and in the end the reds were mightily relieved to send him back to West Ham. He was a hero to the Hammers fans, and they were overjoyed to see him return. He continued his career at Upton Park for another couple of years, before eventualy having to give the game up due to persistent knee trouble. More info on Julian Dicks: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

JOHN DURNIN 1986/89 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 18/08/65 Nationality - English Position - Striker Games - 1 (1) Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Waterloo Dock (amateur), WBA (loan), Oxford, Portsmouth, Blackpool (loan), Carlisle, Tranmere, Kidderminster, Rhyl (amateur), Port Vale, Accrington Stanley (amateur) Bootle-born John's Liverpool career is one of the shortest on record. He started only one first-team game for the club, a League cup 2nd round tie at Craven Cottage on 7th October 1986 when the Reds beat Fulham 3-2 - having already won 10-0 at Anfield two weeks previously. Trying to impress at a time when Liverpool's forward-line was full of experienced international players, it was no surprise when John left Anfield to join West Bromwich Albion towards the end of the 1980's and he enjoyed a good career with a handful of clubs in the lower divisions, most notably at Oxford United & Portsmouth. He would go on to establish himself at Liverpool eventually, albeit not in the way he would have hoped for as an aspiring youngster. The growing popularity of the Legends six a side tournaments presented John with his long awaited opportunity to play alongside the likes of John Barnes and Ian Rush, and he proved to be a prolific marksman in the Legends side. He can also be seen regularly on the Liverpool's TV channel, providing expert analysis of the club's reserves games. More info on John Durnin: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

CYRIL DONE 1938-52 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 21/10/20 Nationality - English Position - Striker Games - 111 Goals - 38 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - None Other Clubs - Bootle Boys Brigade (youth), Tranmere, Port Vale, Winsford United (amateur) Liverpool-born Cyril scored on his League debut for Liverpool as an 18 year old forward, netting the only goal of the game when Chelsea were the visitors to Anfield on 2nd September 1939. But the outbreak of the Second World War meant that this was the final competitive fixture for several years, the regular divisions being abandoned in favour of regional leagues and cup competitions. When League football resumed after the war ended, Cyril made an important contribution by scoring 10 times from 17 appearances (including‚hat-tricks against Huddersfield & Grimsby) as the‚Reds marched on to the First Division championship. He was in and out of the team over the next five years and missed out completely on the F.A. cup run which took the club to their first Wembley final in 1950. Cyril moved to Tranmere Rovers in May 1952 and scored nearly 100 League goals for them and Port Vale, the club at which he ended his playing career. More info on Cyril Done: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

HARRY CHAMBERS 1915-28 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 17/11/1896 Nationality - English Position - Striker Games - 339 Goals - 151 Club Hons (Lpool) - League Championship 1921/22, 22/23 Intnl Hons - England Caps Other Clubs - Willington United Methodists, North Shields Athletic (both amateur); Belfast Distillery & Glentoran (wartime guest); WBA, Oakengates Town, Hereford United Harry joined Liverpool at the end of the First World War and was a key member of the team that won the First Division championship in successive seasons during the early 1920's, scoring 41 times from 71 matches during those two successful years (1921-22 & 1922-23). Harry continued to score with regularity and was the club's only ever-present during the 1925-26 & 1926-27 League seasons. His scoring exploits with Liverpool earned him a number of England caps and the 16 goals he scored in the F.A. cup took his career total for the club past the 150 mark before he was transferred to West Bromwich Albion in 1928. More info on Harry Chambers: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

PATRIK BERGER 1996-2003 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 10/11/73 Nationality - Czech Position - Midfield Games - 196 Goals - 35 Club Hons (Lpool) - FA Cup 2000/01, UEFA Cup 2000/01, League Cup 2000/01 Intnl Hons - 42 Czech Republic Other Clubs - Sparta Prague (twice), Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Stoke (loan) Dashing Czech Berger exploded onto the scene at Anfield in a flurry of goals after joining from Borussia Dortmund following a hugely successful Euro 96, in which he scored in the final as his country narrowly lost out to Germany. An injury delayed his Liverpool debut, but such was the anticipation surrounding his first Liverpool appearance that over 12,000 turned out to watch him play for the reserves against Nottingham Forest at Anfield. He scored of course, with a trademark left foot piledriver from the edge of the box, but that was nothing compared to what he delivered at Filbert Street a few weeks later. Coming on as a half time substitute, Paddy single handedly won the game with two goals of such stunning power that Foxes keeper Kasey keller said they were the hardest shots he'd ever faced. Two more followed in his first full start, against Chelsea at Anfield, before another sublime finish against My-Pa in the Cup Winners Cup capped off a remarkable couple of weeks and earned him a place in the heart of every Kopite. It appeared that the reds had a very special talent on their hands, but then things started to go wrong, as Roy Evans didn't seem to know how to best utilise the skills of the explosive Czech. Berger was in and out of the side, usually vying with Stan Collymore for a place in the side alongside Robbie Fowler. When the reds switched back to a 4-4-2 system, it seemed logical that Berger would find a home on the left side of midfield. However, Roy had other ideas, continually shunning the talented Czech in favour of the workmanlike, right footed, and totally out of his depth Oyvind Leonhardsen. The more the fans chanted for Paddy, the more stubborn Roy's resolve to ignore him became, and at the end of the 1997/98 season, it appeared that Paddy's days at Anfield were numbered. Benfica and Roma both showed a strong interest in signing him, and it was only the late intervention of Peter Robinson that kept him at Anfield. Robinson urged Paddy to give it another go, telling him that the managerial situation at the club was about to change and the new man wanted him to stay. That man of course was Gerard Houllier, who was most definitely a Berger fan. Paddy began the 98/99 season on the left of a four man midfield, but his display on the opening day of the season was patchy, and rumour has it that Roy Evans wanted to leave him out of the following game against Newcastle (in favour of Jason McAteer), but Houllier was having none of it. The Frenchman got his way, Paddy scored at St James' Park (in a game where Michael Owen bagged a hat-trick) and never looked back. Evans went a couple of months later, and for the next couple of years Berger was one of the first names on the teamsheet. He was usually good for about ten goals a season, and at least as many assists. He scored some unbelievable goals down the years, the best of which was probably his 35 yard free-kick at Old Trafford in the 1999-2000 season. He also added a defensive awareness to his undoubted attacking talent, and his work rate was usually second to none. Sadly, injuries were to blight his later years at the club, and he missed much of the 2001 treble winning season with a knee injury. The next two seasons followed a similar pattern, as each time he looked to have regained full fitness he was struck down with knee trouble, meaning the popular Czech made more appearances in Dr Richard Steadman's surgery in Colarado than he did for the reds first team. He showed an exemplary attitude in the reserves however, setting a good example to the younger players in the squad and continuing to burst the net with those trademark left foot thunderbolts. He departed Anfield under the Bosman ruling at the end of the 2002/03 season to join Portsmouth, and after two seasons on the South Coast earned a move to Aston Villa, where he spent three more years before leaving to return to his homeland with Sparta Prague. He left Villa Park under a cloud, having been released from his contract early after incurring the wrath of boss Martin O'Neill. His crime? Publicly telling Vila captain Gareth Barry that he should join Liverpool. What a guy!

KENNY CAMPBELL 1911-20 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 06/09/1892 Nationality - Scottish Position - Goalkeeper Games - 142 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - Intnl Hons - 8 Scotland Caps Other Clubs - Clyde Vale, Rutherglen Glencairn, Cambuslang Rovers, Partick Thistle, New Brighton (amateur), Stoke, Leicester, New Brighton (twice) Goalkeeper Kenneth Campbell became Liverpool's first line of defence when Sam Hardy moved to Villa Park in 1912. He missed only one First Division match during the 1912-13 season, but the man who replaced him*on that occasion (the young Elisha Scott) would subsequently ensure that Ken's spell at Anfield was relatively brief, Scottish international though he was. Ken only missed 4 League games in 1913-14 but before the half-way point of the following season, Scott had taken over between the posts. When the First World War ended and League football resumed, Ken did find himself first-choice again but in April 1920 he played the last of his 125 League games for Liverpool and returned briefly to his native Scotland.*He later*moved South again to play for three other English clubs before retiring as a player. More info on Kenny Campbell: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

AVI COHEN 1979-80 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 14/11/56 Nationality - Israeli Position - Defender Games - 24 Goals - 1 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - Israel Caps Other Clubs - Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Tel Aviv (twice), Rangers, Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Port Elizabeth (South Africa) Defender Avi was signed from Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in July 1979 when he was 22 years old. Due to Ray Kennedy's absence, he was given an early debut at Leeds on 15th September 1979 but didn't feature in a League match again until the following April when he came on as a substitute for Colin Irwin against Stoke City. Ten days later he was named in the side which would retain the League championship if they could beat Aston Villa at Anfield. It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Israeli international. After David Johnson had given the Reds an early lead, Avi had the misfortune to slice an attempted clearance over Ray Clemence's head and into his own goal. But 5 minutes after the interval, he made up for his error by driving a low shot into the Kop goal to give Liverpool a lead that they never surrendered again. Avi played in 14 League matches the following season (1980-81), mostly as a deputy for Alan Kennedy, but never had an extended run in the side and it was no surprise when he eventually decided to leave Anfield to pursue his career elsewhere. Avi was tragically killed in a road accident in 2011. YNWA Avi. More info on Avi Cohen: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future

PETER CORMACK 1972-76 by Chris Wood Date of Birth - 17/07/46 Nationality - Scottish Position - Midfield Games - 178 Goals - 26 Club Hons (Lpool) - League Championship 1972/73, 75/76, UEFA Cup 1972/73, FA Cup 1973/74 Intnl Hons - Scotland Caps Other Clubs - Hearts, Hibernian (twice), Nottm For, Bristol City, Partick Thistle Edinburgh-born midfielder Peter arrived at Anfield in July 1972 after having played 72 League games for Nottingham Forest and double that number for his home-town club Hibernian. His experience and creativity added something extra to the squad that had narrowly missed out on the championship in 1971-72 and Peter was an important part of Shankly's 'new' team which won not only the First Division title in 1972-73 but also the club's first-ever European trophy, the UEFA cup. Peter had to wait until the 7th League fixture of the season (at Derby's Baseball Ground) before being handed his League debut but he scored on his home debut against Wolves the following week and never looked back after that, finishing with 8 goals from his 30 starts plus another 22 appearances in the different cup competitions. 1973-74 was another good year for Peter. He figured in all 42 League matches and added an F.A. cup winners' medal to his collection. Aged 28 when the 1974-75 season began, he looked to have years of success ahead of him at Anfield but when Bob Paisley's master-stroke converted Ray Kennedy from a lumbering forward into a graceful midfielder, it was Peter who suffered as a consequence. He did qualify for another championship medal in 1975-76 after starting 16 League matches but was clearly surplus to requirements at Liverpool and it was no real surprise when he moved on to Bristol City in November 1976. More info on Peter Cormack: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future